Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,17

her skin, begging to break free and rip out his throat. Atan was obviously not interested in unity in their tribe.

“What we have always done,” Bunic Klaus snapped. “Be vigilant. Do not leave the house without at least one protector. Do not leave your families alone without a protector.”

“What about smaller packs?” a man asked from the back.

Tatiana grimaced. There were some smaller packs that had only one protector, which meant they’d have to stay together all the time.

“Join with other small packs,” Bunic Klaus said. “You must always have a protector with you. No exceptions.”

“Why don’t we just kill this demon?” Atan snorted and turned to the others, urging them on when they grumbled their agreement.

“She is being protected by the Russian mob, and we’re still not sure how many demons are among them,” Bunic Klaus answered with surprising restraint. “We must do reconnaissance before we determine our next move.”

Atan arched a thin brow. “Who’s doing this reconnaissance?”

“Tor Thunderfoot has already sent for a team of US Army trackers.” Bunic Klaus motioned to her father, who sat in front of her in the first row. As chieftain of the largest Amaroki tribe, he was granted the respect of a front-row seat. The way Atan snarled at him, it was obvious he didn’t care to offer deference.

“What’s wrong with our betas?” Atan demanded, trying to get everyone else present riled up.

Fuck, this piece of shit needed to be taken down.

Bunic Klaus managed to maintain his calm. “They don’t have the same training.”

It was true. The betas in the Alaskan tribe went through a long, intense bootcamp and extensive tracker training. They were the US Army’s secret weapon and never failed to capture their targets, usually terrorists in hostile countries.

Atan looked at Bunic Klaus as if he’d just spit in his face. “So we’re putting our fate in the hands of another tribe?”

As the Lupescu brothers and fathers all growled, she feared they were about to rumble with the Albescus.

Bunic Klaus pounded the podium so hard, it cracked down the middle, then split in two and toppled to the floor. “Another tribe? They are our brothers. Many of their daughters and sisters live among us. Again I ask you to focus on the real enemy and not let ourselves become divided by petty differences.”

“What if we are overreacting?” Atan pointed an accusatory finger at Klaus. “We imposition the Alaskan tribe for nothing.”

“And what if we underreact?” Klaus rumbled. “Do I need to remind you what happened when demons threatened the Texas tribe?”

“I know what happened.” Pulling back his shoulders, Atan exuded confidence. “A succubus tried to steal a shifter’s body, but Amaroki magic prevented the demon from entering.”

Klaus let out a string of Romanian curse words. “The demon almost killed Annie Wolfstalker.”

“There have been demons on earth for centuries.” Atan slapped his chest like an ape trying to assert his dominance. “If they were a serious threat, we would’ve had a sign from the Ancients.”

The look Klaus gave Atan reflected Tatiana’s thoughts. The guy was a fucking idiot. “The Ancients equipped us with the power to determine threats for ourselves,” Klaus said, “the ability to scent dark magic, and powerful protectors to keep us safe. Do we roll over like babies and wait for our gods to save us, or do we use the magic they gave us to protect ourselves?”

When the crowd broke into murmurs of agreement, Tatiana inwardly smiled, but her joy was short-lived when she saw the murderous look in Atan’s eyes. She knew without a doubt that shifter wouldn’t be satisfied until Klaus was dethroned.

BALBAN NERVOUSLY TOYED with her fingers while Sitri paced the slate floor of his bedchamber, one of the few rooms in the castle where reconstruction had been completed. The wolves had followed her all the way to their headquarters, which meant they had caught her demon scent. Though Balban enjoyed torture, she had her limits. Getting her tits chopped off was one of them.

Sitri poured himself a shot of vodka. He gave her a long look that made her flesh crawl. She knew he was contemplating her punishment.

Downing the vodka in one gulp, he threw the glass into the fireplace, where it smashed against the stone wall. “We need to accelerate our plan.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“We make a move tonight.”

But they hadn’t yet fleshed out their plan. They needed to capture the witch, but one of her protector mates was always with her.

“How do you expect to get her alone?” she